LATIN PULSE : Return of a Bolero Titan

A new work by perhaps the greatest living legend of the Latin romantic song and two new soundtracks top this edition of Latin Pulse.

*** Armando Manzanero, “El Piano, Manzanero y sus amigos,” BMG Latin/RCA. Long heralded as one of Mexico’s premier artists--and certainly bolero’s most significant singer-songwriter--Manzanero is back with his first studio album in six years. In “El Piano,” Manzanero and friends (including jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe on one track) provide a collection of simply produced tear-jerkers. Other guests include Argentina’s Alejandro Lerner and Brazil’s Cesar Camargo Mariano on piano, plus a rare trumpet solo by Spanish singer Dyango. This is unspoiled bolero at its best.

*** Various artists, “The Perez Family” soundtrack, BMG/RCA. Now this is a soundtrack that makes you want to watch the movie. Jellybean Benitez (who has worked with Madonna, Sting and others) was wise enough to choose from some of the best pre-salsa material available--the real stuff. He ended up with a varied selection of Afro Cuban music, from rumba to mambo to cha-cha-cha. Beny Mores’ rendition of Lino Frias’ “Mata Siguaraya” and an impressive version of the same song by contemporary pop singer Rosco Martinez stand out among the many highlights.

** 1/2 Mana, “Cuando los angeles lloran,” WEA Latina. After selling more than 2 million copies worldwide of its third album, Guadalajara’s Mana is trying to repeat its success--and probably will. “When Angels Cry” is its best album to date, but is still not enough to grant it entrance into the rock en espan~ol pantheon. Despite an effort to sound meaner and heavier, Mana still relies for the most part on catchy tunes and cliched environmental messages. A good try.

** Various artists, “Tango Feroz: La leyenda de Tanguito,” Ariola. Loosely based on the life and untimely death of “Tanguito”--one of the pioneers of Argentine rock in the mid-’60s--the movie and its soundtrack both fail to capture one of the edgiest and freshest moments in Latin America’s youth counterculture. The American edition of the album lacks even basic information on the performers. A must for his die-hard fans, but if you want a faithful document on the birth of rock argentino , take the trouble to get the originals.*

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).